SE514617C2 - Method of making fruit juices, such as pomegranates - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for the production of juice from fruits (1) such as pomegranates. The method comprises the following steps: the fruit (1) is fragmented and the fruit parts are caused, in a rotating drum (8), to fall from the upper region of the drum (8) to the bottom of the drum (8). In the fall, juice sacs (5) are separated from skin (2) and inner partitions (4). The juice sacs (5) fall through perforations in the circumferential surface (10) of the drum (8) and are conveyed further to a workstation (14) for pressing the juice sacs (5) for obtaining a fruit juice. The remaining parts of the fruit (1), i.e. skin (2) and inner partitions are discharged out from the short side (12) of the drum (8).

Description

According to the invention, this and other objects have been achieved by giving the method of the type initially described, characterized in that the disintegrated fruits, in a rotating drum, are caused to fall from the upper part of the drum, to its bottom, where the fruit sacs leaves the drum via perforations in the mantle surface of the drum, while the remaining parts of the fruit are discharged from the short side of the drum.

Preferred embodiments have furthermore been given the features appearing from the subclaims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Fig. 1 shows a pomegranate fruit in cross section Fig. 2 shows a schematic device for carrying out the method Fig. 1 shows a fruit 1 of pomegranate cut in half . The fruit 1 has a surrounding shell 2 which is relatively hard and brittle. Inside the fruit 1 there are a number of rooms 3 which are divided by partitions 4. In each of the rooms 3 there are a large number of juice bags 5.

The juice sacs 5 are held together by a relatively tough membrane and contain a bright red juice and a core or a seed 6.

The shell 2 and the partitions 4 contain large amounts of polypphenols which have a very pronounced bitter taste. The juice and the kernels 6 in the juice bags 5 contain only small amounts of these bitter substances. In order to be able to extract the juice in a way that is desirable, one thus wants to separate the juice bags 5 from the shell 2 and the partitions 4, so that no parts of these are included and give a too bitter taste to the extracted juice.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow of how the method is designed. Fruits 1 of the pomegranates are transported to the device, to a first workstation 7 where the fruits 1 are disintegrated. Depending on the degree of ripeness and quality, the fruits can be halved or cut into thick slices. The fruits 1 should be divided as little as possible, in order to avoid the release of bitter substances.

After disintegration, the divided fruits 1 are transported further to a rotating drum 8. The drum 8 has a number of carriers attached to the inner wall.

The carriers may be straight, but are in the preferred embodiment, slightly inclined. The mantle surface 10 of the drum 8 is perforated with a large number of holes. The holes have a diameter of about 15 mm. The rotation of the drum 8 is relatively moderate, maximum 30 revolutions per minute and depends on the diameter of the drum 8, so that a larger diameter gives a slower rotation.

The disintegrated fruits 1 are introduced into the drum 8, via one of its short sides 11.

By the rotation of the drum 8, the fruit parts of the carriers are moved towards the upper part of the drum 8. As the carriers can no longer hold the fruit parts, these will fall down towards the bottom of the drum 8. The fruit parts are broken and the juice bags 5, which have a size of about 5-10 mm, fall through the holes in the mantle surface 10 of the drum 8. The more or less continuous parts of shell 2 and partitions 4 remain inside the drum 8. Through the inclined carriers, the remaining parts of the fruit 1 are advanced in the drum 8 and leave the drum 8 through its second short side 12.

The juice bags 5 obtained from the fruit 1 which have left the drum 8 through the perforation holes are transported further, in some form of conventional screw 13 or on a conveyor belt. The juice bags 5 are fed by means of the screw 13 or the conveyor belt to some form of fitting machine 14 or possibly a grinder and a decanter. Other types of equipment for pressing the juice bags 5 can also be used in connection with the invention method. In the accessory machine 14, the juice bags 5 are pressed, under back pressure, against a net and the juice bags 5 are emptied of their juice content. Cores 6 and membranes are transported away from the accessory machine 14 and the squeezed juice is pumped in a pipeline 15 on to a tank 16, or possibly directly to finishing and packaging in consumer packaging. Alternatively, the juice can be concentrated after extraction in order to be transported further, where the concentrate can be used in the manufacture of other juices or food products.

As can be seen from the above description, the present invention provides a method of making juice from fruits, such as pomegranates. The method allows you to effectively and gently separate the fruit's juice sacs from the skin and partitions. The method makes it possible to industrially extract juice from pomegranate without the mechanical processing of the fruit becoming too great, so that bitter substances in the peel and partitions follow with the finished juice.

Claims (5)

10 15 20 25 514 617 4 PATENT CLAIMS A method of making juice from fruits (1), such as pomegranates, comprising the method steps of disintegrating the fruit (1) and extracting the juice bags (5) of the fruit (1), and pressing the juice bags (5) to obtain a fruit juice, characterized in that the disintegrated fruits (1), in a rotating drum (8), are caused to fall from the upper part of the drum (8), to its bottom, where the juice bags leave the drum (8) via perforations in the mantle surface (10) of the drum (8) ), while the remaining parts of the fruit (1) are discharged from the short side (12) of the drum (8). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the inner, fixed carrier of the drum (8), the disintegrated fruits (1) bring up to the upper part of the drum (8). Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the carriers, by being inclined, for the remaining parts of the fruit (1). forward in the drum (8), towards its short side (12). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the perforations in the drum (8) mantle surface (10) consist of a large number of holes with a diameter of about 15 mm. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotation of the drum (8) is a maximum of 30 revolutions per minute.